A portmanteau word is made up of two or more others words which have been combined into one. Common examples are spork, brunch, and ginormous -- none of which need explaining. Other portmanteaus include: liger, a cross between a lion and a tiger; bionic, a combination of biology and electronic; blog, made up of web and log; and emoticon comes from emotion and icon.
There are some words which are so accepted in English that we don't even really realise they're portmanteau words. The word squiggle comes from squirm and wiggle, pixel comes from picture and element, and internet comes from international and network.
A common reason for creating portmanteaus is to combine names when two people are in a relationship. Brangelina is the name for the couple of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and Bennifer is the name for Benn Affleck and Jennifer Lopez. On the television show Glee, portmanteaus are used for the pairings of Finn and Rachel (Finchel), Rachel and Puckerman (Puckleberry), and Finn and Kurt (Furt), among others. This is a popular practice with the fans of many works of fiction: Romione, for example, is the pairing of Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.
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